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MEMBER DIARY

A Republican House Of Cards

The afterglow of the mid-term elections has just about faded. Who knew that giddy optimism of the Republican rout would give way to schizophrenic uneasiness over the role and direction of the Party? House Speaker Boehner has his hands full, trying to integrate the new, hard Right members of the House with more seasoned, moderate thinking representatives. The looming specter of a Government shutdown is pressing the issue. Republicans are forcing budget cuts where they can, but the Dems are doggedly positioning themselves to look like the good guys when the checks stop flowing.

The left is offering abandoned budget increase requests in lieu of real budget cuts, and Republicans in the House must not accept that as a compromise. Now is the time that Boehner and others in the leadership must be unwavering. We may not like ex-speaker Pelosi, but she is an excellent role model for getting things done. The new Speaker would do well to take a page from her book.

The Democrats in their reticence to create and approve a budget last year, unwittingly set a trap for the new Republican House majority. With the newly elected Tea Party influence, Republicans have to re-asses their commitment to fiscal responsibility. They have to walk the walk, and demand the fiscal cuts that their constituents demanded with their ballots last fall.

Speaker Boehner needs to constantly remind Americans that the Democrats not only failed to produce a budget last year, but continue to lack a document outlining any meaningful cuts to the currently unsustainable numbers. He also needs to bring all Conservative House members together to achieve true fiscal sanity. It is time to draw the line. Either you are for actual fiscal responsibility or you are not. This is no time for Conservatives in name only and if Boehner cannot assemble a unified front against the Dems and their spending addiction, this House majority will be neutered.

Compromise may get the little things done. However, as the Obama administration showed us, to accomplish the really big things requires a single minded perseverance in the face of criticism and doubt. We saw no compromise in the Obamacare bill, and Conservatives should offer none in the budget battle.

The new Republican House is one of cards, and John Boehner’s political intuition, strength and leadership skills will determine whether it stands or falls.